


From Late to Fate

by HongBining



Series: Welcome to Pledis Monthly [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Anyways, Fluff, M/M, au in which wonwoo believes love at first sight is a thing, bc HOO BOY he sure is whipped at the sight of kim mingyu, i didnt think this through, i guess everyone has mansae era hair???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 13:52:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7895113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HongBining/pseuds/HongBining
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wonwoo is upset that his late alarm disrupts his daily routine.</p><p>That is, until he meets a strikingly gorgeous stranger at the bus stop on the way to work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Late to Fate

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

Wonwoo had been fast asleep, but sound of his alarm mercilessly jolted him awake with its ungodly noises from hell.

He sat up in his bed and groggily rubbed his eyes. What time was it? He glanced over at his nightstand where his alarm clock read 8:30 am.

 _What? Impossible!_ he thought, lazily fumbling for his glasses. He thought he had set it to 7, his usual time.

Clearly, he hadn't. Wonwoo cursed his state of exhaustion from the night before for his alarm's miserable failure as a wake up call.

Great. He knew right away that he had missed his 8 am bus, the very bus responsible for bringing him to work. Wonwoo made a mental note to double check the clock the next time he set his alarm before falling asleep.

It was no use rushing to work now, since the next bus wouldn't come for another hour and a half. Wonwoo bitterly accepted that his punctuality streak was doomed to be no more.

He finally found his glasses, putting them on as he gazes over at his nightstand. There, his phone sat with the screen facing up, glowing with a series of notifications.

Wonwoo taps the messages icon to check who contacted him during his slumber.

His first series of texts were sent by Seokmin.

**_Seokmin <7:02 am>_ **

**time to wake up sleeping beauty!!! :D**

**Seokmin <7:26 am>**

**heading to the bus stop now!! see you there!!**

**Seokmin <7:56 am>**

**where are you??? the bus is coming!! D:**

**you're never late!!  :O**

**WONWOO WHERE R U**

**Seokmin <8:03 am>**

**well…on the bus now…sorry! meet you at work! ^_^**

**hope you don't come too late, remember what minghao said!!**

Wonwoo scratched his head. What did Minghao want them to be there early for? It was only a Tuesday, what could possibly make this day so important?

He scrolled down. The next few texts were from Junhui.

**_Jun <8:17 am>_ **

**_hey!!! seokmin told me you weren't at the bus stop???_ **

**_why????_ **

**_Jun <8:18 am>_ **

**_if you don't come soon, you're fired!! :pp_ **

**_jk, I'm not the one in charge of that stuff_ **

**_but still_ **

**_please hurry_ **

**_Jun <8:25 am>_ **

**_new guy still hasn't arrived yet. dw._ **

**_remember, minghao wanted everyone here on time to meet him._ **

**_he's kinda freaking out though, I guess he just wants everything to be perfect for this friend of his._ **

**_or at least I hope it's just a ""friend"" >:(_ **

**_nvrmimd that last text, srry_ **

**_anyways_ **

**_try and get here soon, thnx_ **

_Oh_ , Wonwoo remembered, _That's right, Minghao wanted us to be at work on time so we could greet the new guy._

He wonders who this new guy could possibly be as he changed out of his pajamas and into his work clothes. He grabs his coat, satchel, and Pledis Monthly ID badge as he made his way to his front door of his apartment.

He'd been working for lifestyle magazine Pledis Monthly for about two years now. The editor-in-chief, Minghao, had read the news column Wonwoo wrote for the local newspaper, and was so impressed with his writing that he reached out to him through email to offer him a position at Pledis Monthly as a staff writer.

Wonwoo happily accepted, knowing that Pledis was a great outlet for his writing to reach more readers. Plus, he figured it was a step up from his part time position at the Seoul Gazette.

As he was about to leave, his phone buzzed with a text from his friend Soonyoung.

**_Soonyoung <8:46am>_ **

**_morning ww! hope you get a chance to read 'my tiny robot': the tales of a boy and his technologically advanced companion' sometime soon! I'm off to work now, maybe I'll catch you later! lmk if you read the book! it's really good, trust me! **\\(^_^)/**_ **

Wonwoo respected Soonyoung a lot. He ran the local dance studio only ten minutes away from the Pledis Monthly office buildings, and if Wonwoo had time during his lunch break, he'd usually step out and meet up with Soonyoung at a local restaurant.

They'd been best friends for a while now, and had unconditional support for each other in each of their endeavors. The only discrepancy between the two was their taste in literature.

From the moment he saw the book's title (which was way too long and seemed childish, at least in Wonwoo's opinion) he had low expectations, even with Soonyoung's reassurance of it being 'really good.'

Nevertheless, he took the novel from his enthusiastic friend with great reluctance (Soonyoung hadn't noticed) and had placed it on his coffee table, where it would remain untouched for the next several days.

Wonwoo reads Soonyoung's text and shrugs, figuring he would need _something_ to do as he waited for the next bus. He scrambles to grab the book off his coffee table, shoving it into his bag as he made his way downstairs.

Arriving at the bus stop, he took his usual place on the bench, where he was hit with a pang of disappointment knowing that Seokmin wouldn't be with him today.

He had met him on their first day of work, where the two bright eyed future employees were riddled with nervous excitement for their new careers at Pledis Monthly.

It was a part of their routine that they would meet up at around 7:30(ish) to wait for the bus together. Sometimes, if they managed to get out even earlier, they would head over to the local cafe nearby the bus stop and pick up some coffee to-go, maybe even having a quick chat with their favorite barista, Jihoon, who could whip up a mean Americano brew in a matter of minutes.  The three would discuss work together, though it was mostly Seokmin talking about his position as the magazine's copy editor while the other two listened.

Unfortunately, none of that would be happening today. Wonwoo couldn't even bring himself to visit the cafe, since Jihoon wouldn't be there. Not to mention it was _Chan and Hansol's shift._ Wonwoo didn't trust those two when it came to making coffee. Jihoon had vented to him one morning about their lack of commitment to the barista position, complaining about how often they tampered with the machinery behind the counter. ("Plus, neither of them can make coffee as good as ME, no matter how much I offer them my expertise!")

His phone rings, and it's a call from Junhui. He cringes at the sight of his name on the screen; Wonwoo figures he'll cut to the chase with an apology.

"Jun, hey, listen, I set my alarm way later than I thought I did, and the bus isn't coming for like another forty minutes I think, and I'm going to miss meeting the new guy-"

Junhui's voice cuts in. "No, no, it's fine. Look, he isn't even here yet. Seokmin explained that you're usually never this late, so I put a word in with Minghao and he's okay with it for now, but don't do this again, please, you know how Minghao gets when all his ducks aren't in a line."

He hears Junhui mumble something in Mandarin, and his ears pick up a muffled response to him in the same tongue. Wonwoo figures he's in Minghao's office, as per usual, because when was Junhui _not_ in Minghao's office? He was Pledis Monthly's managing editor after all, so it made sense that he had to meet with Minghao often to discuss things about the magazine.

Still, the office gossip dubbed them as something more than just work partners. Seungkwan, the romance and dating column writer at Pledis Monthly (a section Wonwoo takes secret pleasure in reading) claimed that they were together, "for sure!" Seungkwan was obsessed with the idea of office romances, and he was so certain that Minghao and Junhui had something based on the way they were together all the time.

"Did you see how Minghao looked at Junhui today? It wasn't just any look-it was a look of longing! God, why can't they just admit they're in love with each other?" Seungkwan had vented to Wonwoo, who had been occupied with his game of solitaire and only half listening.

He did this at least twice a week. Junhui would occasionally walk by when this happened, (which was often) and he would simply roll his eyes and tell Seungkwan to give up, mainly because "it's nothing," or so he claims. The constant denial only adds fuel to the fire however, and the office (mostly Seungkwan) grows more suspicious of them with each passing day.

That would be a problem to solve for another time. Junhui ends his call to Wonwoo with a gentle reminder that he had to get to work as soon as possible, before the new guy comes, so they could all give him a "warm Pledis Monthly welcome," as he put it.

Sighing, Wonwoo hangs up and adjusts the ID badge on his shirt pocket. Maybe he should've mentioned to Junhui that he can't just change the bus's entire schedule around him; he has to actually wait for it. Some people just don't understand the ins and outs of public transportation

He flips Soonyoung's book open to the first page, breezing through the first couple of introductory paragraphs, and gets a feel for the story and the writer's style. It was readable content, but nothing compared to the books he'd usually enjoy.

Yet, he found himself lost in his reading, as per usual, so much so that he failed to notice a figure approach his bench and plop down in the space next to him.

Wonwoo glimpses up slightly at the person adjacent to him and _oh my God,_ this person is breathtakingly beautiful. He had glowing tan skin, with dark hair swept up to one side, and wow, that was the most chiseled jawline Wonwoo had ever seen in the history of ever. He wonders how another person can be so effortlessly gorgeous.

The boy hadn't noticed Wonwoo yet, for he was looking down at a stack of papers piled neatly on his lap. He was wearing a typical work outfit, button up shirt and pants with a huge, bulky cross body bag slung over his shoulders.  

And yet, it was probably the greatest ensemble of clothing Wonwoo had ever seen on another human being. He suddenly feels inferior to the stranger's stunning visual, and tries to match his look by tousling his hair up, scrunching his nose as he realizes he forgot to style it in some way before rushing out of the apartment.

 _Oh well,_ Wonwoo thinks, returning to his book. He knew the protagonist was bound to meet his technologically advanced companion sometime in the next couple of pages, he could feel it.

The book becomes uninteresting. In his peripheral, Wonwoo watches the handsome stranger neatly fold the stack of papers into his bag.

He then turns his head slightly, in the direction of Wonwoo, who fixes his gaze towards his chest.

Right away, Wonwoo notices and feels his insides screaming, ALERT! ALERT! ATTRACTIVE STRANGER!  ALERT!  It takes every fiber of his being to remain cool and collected, despite wanting to disappear into nothingness.

"Oh hey, you work at Pledis Monthly!" the stranger observes cheerily. Wonwoo shifts his eyes from the book to finally look up at the boy, which was a huge mistake. He was smiling one of the cutest smiles he had ever seen. It wasn't helping him that this boy had dazzling looks, and adorable voice to boot.

Wonwoo was silent, not sure what to say. Sheepishly, the boy reached a hand up and began to rub the back of his neck.

"Sorry, I just got excited. I was looking at your badge. Y'know, I actually have a job there too! Today's my first day, though. I'll probably get one too, right? But, oh God, I'm so late, what a terrible first impression I'll make! I hope Minghao will understand." He gazes off into the distance, losing himself in thought. Wonwoo takes this time to admire his side profile, fully assured that it could be used to slice vegetables given the situation presented itself.

So this was the new guy Minghao was telling everyone about. Wonwoo wondered if he should send a quick text to Junhui, and let him know he'd be the first to give the warm Pledis Monthly welcome to the newbie.

Maybe not, considering Wonwoo was still baffled by the boy's striking appearance and was too dumbfounded to say anything to him.

A few more moments of silence passed before the boy introduced himself. "My name is Kim Mingyu," he says, "and I'm going to be the newest photographer for Pledis Monthly. I don't know what Minghao wants me to actually photograph though, but I guess I'll find out soon enough..." His voice trails off at that last bit.

Wonwoo tries to collect his train of thought. Here he was, sitting with the newest employee, a photographer, who Minghao personally hired, and they were both late, traveling together on the same bus, to the same office, where they both worked. Small world, Wonwoo thinks.

Finally, Wonwoo summons up the courage to speak to Kim Mingyu. He formally introduces himself as one of the staff writers of the magazine.

Mingyu's eyes light up in excitement upon hearing Wonwoo's introduction.

"Wait. Wait, you're _the_ Jeon Wonwoo?! Oh my gosh, your columns are my favorites!

I always read yours first! And it's always about something different, you're so good at writing about EVERYTHING!  Why can't all magazines have lifestyle columns like yours?! And why are they always in the middle of the magazine, why not at the very beginning? Sometimes it gets boring for me, reading the entire thing before getting to your stuff. Maybe I can talk to Minghao about it sometime soon…"

Wonwoo's mouth is agape. He'd never been praised in person by a reader. Let alone a handsome reader. He pushes his glasses up his nose again as he continues listening to Mingyu speak. A question suddenly pops up into his head.

"So, wait, you said you're friends with Minghao? I didn't think he actually had friends, to be honest,"  Wonwoo remarks. Mingyu chuckles.

He went on to explain to Wonwoo that himself and Minghao met in primary school back in Mingyu's hometown of Angyang. Minghao was fresh from China, struck with culture shock, and it was Mingyu who served as his guide to Korean culture. The two became fast friends, and stayed attached at the hip for years until Minghao moved away to Seoul in middle school, bidding farewell to Mingyu and expressing hope that they would meet again one day.

Mingyu did eventually make it to Seoul to attend university. To Wonwoo's surprise, he learns that it's the same university as his. Why has he never noticed him before? Mingyu explains that he was in the year below Wonwoo’s, only he graduated two years later after deciding last minute that he no longer wished to study as a business major. He transferred to the arts department and pursued photography, which Mingyu told him was his true calling.

The risky switch had paid off, Mingyu tells him. Months after graduation, Mingyu had a job in the city library shelving books, when he heard a familiar voice behind him asking where the self help books were located.

"Who would've known that we would meet again at that exact moment in time! Minghao approached me, out of all people! I never thought I'd see him again!" Mingyu waves his arms around excitedly, for emphasis. He flashes his smile over at Wonwoo, who is engrossed in Mingyu's story, completely whipped by him at this point.

Everything about Mingyu was disgustingly adorable. Could this be love at first sight?

Wonwoo represses that thought.

"What book was Minghao looking for?" he inquires, leaning towards Mingyu slightly, feeling their arms brush against each other.

Mingyu starts giggling. "It was a love advice book he wanted to find! He told me about some guy named Junhui at the office he'd been pining after, and figured a self help book was a good place to start for help."

Wonwoo's eyes widen upon receiving this new information. _Oh my God, wait until Seungkwan finds out,_ he thinks, trying to hold back laughter.

"So instead, I sat him down and gave him some advice of my own," Mingyu continues as if he hadn't just delivered the news of the century. "I told him he should talk to the Junhui guy, about his feelings and stuff. For me personally, I like a man who's straightforward about his feelings, don'tcha think?" He chuckles.

Wonwoo is slowly dying inside. He wonders if Mingyu can sense the nerves he has radiating off his body.

"So yeah, I think he mentioned Junhui was one of the copy editors at the time. Ever since I gave him that advice, they've been hitting it off since! I wonder if he's told anyone though." Mingyu pauses to give it some thought. "Eh, knowing Minghao, probably not."

Wow. So Junhui was the copy editor before he was promoted to managing editor. Wonwoo was learning so much in a matter of 30 minutes.

Mingyu wraps up his story. "I told him about my photography and I'm so glad I did, it turns out Pledis Monthly was in need of a photographer, so he offered me the job, and here I am, going in on my first day! I'm so excited!"

Mingyu was beaming with happiness, much like Wonwoo had on his first day. This makes him smile.

He begins to ask Mingyu a question when the 10 am bus pulls up. They hasten to gather their possessions, getting ready to board the bus.

Wonwoo wonders who the driver will be, knowing that it changes hourly between three guys, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Jisoo.

Today, it's Jisoo manning the bus. A look of shock spreads on his face when he realizes that it's Wonwoo, and some new guy, waiting to get on.

"Jeon Wonwoo!" Jisoo welcomes him onto the bus and politely introduces himself to Mingyu as they amble over to the seats.

Jisoo stops Wonwoo for a quick chat.

"Jeonghan did the 8am today, and he told me you weren't there with Seokmin," he says.

Suddenly he glances over at Mingyu, and shoots his eyes back at Wonwoo, with a puzzled expression.

A sly grin appears on his face. Jisoo motions for Wonwoo to lean in to him. In a hushed tone, so quiet that only himself and Wonwoo could hear, he asks if his 'new friend' was the reason for Wonwoo's abrupt change in schedule.

Wonwoo blushes, managing a short "No," and settles himself into a seat next to Mingyu. Jisoo silently laughs as he revs up the engine and starts up the bus to the Pledis Monthly offices.

Mingyu catches sight of Soonyoung's book as Wonwoo begins to tuck it in his bag.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asks, head nodding towards the book. Their hands touch slightly as Mingyu snatches it out of Wonwoo's grasp.

"It is!" Mingyu shrieks, startling Wonwoo and the other bus passengers. "I read this book waaaay back at the city library!" He begins to fondle the book cover and sighs nostalgically.

"The ending was kinda cheesy though. It turns out the entire plot was a dream sequence, and the boy was imagining it the entire time. The tiny robot ends up being his younger brother, who he doesn't know about yet, cause like, he's not born yet and stuff."

Wonwoo knew it. He figured it'd be one of those stories. Typical Soonyoung recommending a book with so much predictability. He had to give him a taste of real literature. Wonwoo would need to call him once he got out of work.

Mingyu was still talking about the story when Wonwoo realized that he'd just spoiled it. Ah well. He normally despised spoilers, but for someone like Mingyu, he would make an exception.

He brushes this thought aside as they converse throughout the entire bus ride to Pledis. Wonwoo feels like they're hitting it off nicely. The two talk about writing, and Mingyu pulls out his portfolio for Wonwoo to see. It was quite impressive. Mingyu had a series of still life and landscape shots, all packed into a manila folder. He was so artistically inclined. As if Wonwoo needed another reason to find Mingyu appealing.

"These are beautiful," Wonwoo breathes, admiring the photographs as if they were rare pieces of ancient artwork that could crumble at the slightest touch.

He notices there aren't any photos of people.

"Oh, well, finding models is hard," Mingyu informs after he'd asked. He further explains that he'd need to find someone really photogenic and beautiful for the photo to come out well. Wonwoo simply nods.

"Alright, Pledis Monthly offices, here we are!" Jisoo calls out. Wonwoo and Mingyu quickly stand up, making their payments to Jisoo and giving him thanks. The two hop off the bus as Jisoo drives away.

Wonwoo doesn't register it right away, but he heads a shutter click within earshot as he adjusts the position of his satchel strap. He looks up, slightly startled, to see Mingyu staring down at his camera that he had somehow managed to pull out of his bag so quickly. He sees Wonwoo looking at him like a deer in headlights, and grins.

"Wow, this photo came out great!" Mingyu gloats.

"What did you-did you take a picture of me?" Wonwoo stutters, suddenly feeling very intimidated and small. Mingyu places his camera back into his bag as he strolls over to Wonwoo, placing himself right in front of him, reeally close, almost too close for Wonwoo's liking, but he's frozen in place. The most he can do is prepare himself for whatever Mingyu is going to say next, and boy, is it something.

Mingyu smirks. "Well, they do say that as a photographer, your priority is to capture whatever pleases your eye." He winks, as Wonwoo's face begins to turn a bright red.

His mind is totally discombobulated. He should wake up for work late more often, if it leads to situations like this all the time.

If Wonwoo wasn't dying already, he feels his insides practically deteriorate as Mingyu reaches out to take hold of Wonwoo's hand, in such a delicate manner that it gave Wonwoo the option to let go of he was too uncomfortable. He lifts it to his lips, placing a light kiss on it before gently letting go.

Wonwoo's stomach is teeming with butterflies. He would faint right now at this very spot if he knew he wasn't late for work. The two avoid eye contact, too awkward and embarrassed to say anything. Wonwoo discovers that Mingyu looks just as flushed as himself, and he starts giggling. He sees Mingyu look towards him and smile before Wonwoo makes a gesture towards the office, as if to say 'we should probably go now.'

Mingyu apologies for his impulses getting the best of him. Wonwoo reassures him that it was totally fine, even better than fine, but he doesn't mention that.

As they make the climb up the stairs leading to the entrance, a strike of confidence suddenly hits Wonwoo like a ton of bricks.

"Hey, have you ever been to that cafe near the bus stop?" he blurts out, as they march up, stair by stair.

Mingyu shakes his head no. Confident Wonwoo carries on.

"Oh. Okay, because well…I mean if you wanted to, we could…go there…sometime…"

He should've followed some of the advice from Seungkwan's romance column. It probably could've improved his delivery a little more.

Mingyu isn't able to answer just yet, for they reach the entrance and Junhui and Minghao (the newly confirmed office lovers) are situated by the door.

Junhui sees them first, and his face lights up as he exclaims something in Mandarin to Minghao, who worriedly sat on a waiting room armchair. He stands up to greet Mingyu, and drags him from Wonwoo as he begins to introduce him to everyone on the first floor.

Wonwoo receives a grief stricken look from Mingyu, who mouths 'See you later?' He nods happily in response as he watches him being pulled away.

 _So long for now, my sweet prince!_ Wonwoo calls out to him. In his mind, so he hopes.

Seokmin spots Wonwoo as he emerges from the elevator and greets him with a friendly embrace.

“There you are!" he almost shouts, happy as ever to see that his coworker had made it to work. "We were wondering when you'd get here, Minghao was going nuts! Did you meet the new guy? You guys arrived at the same time. Did you?"

Seokmin rattles off questions like there's no tomorrow. Wonwoo drowns his talking out as he spots Minghao showing Mingyu every nook and cranny of the office's main floor. He wonders if this was the same way Mingyu had guided Minghao around when they were back in Angyang.

He envisions a younger Mingyu, leading a shy Minghao around their primary school. The thought makes him grin.

It's clear Minghao is no longer that shy boy. Wonwoo catches Mingyu beaming with pride over his friend's success, knowing it'd been a long time coming for the both of them.

Minghao finishes showing him the upstairs office cubicles, assigning Mingyu a place of his own. And with that, Mingyu's welcome party had come to an end. The actual work day at Pledis Monthly begins.

Wonwoo settles down in his own cubicle.He tries to write, but he struggles to concentrate. He still hasn't received a response from Mingyu. What with all the work he has, there was no way he'd hear back from him until the end of the day.

He tries to repress his worries, and places his headphones on before averting his attention to the task at hand.

\\\ \\\ \\\ // // //

He's halfway done with work when Junhui peeps his head over Wonwoo's cubicle. Taking note of his presence, Wonwoo slips his headphones off and looks up.

They stare at each other for a moment. Junhui speaks first.

"So you met the new guy."

"Yup." Wonwoo chuckles silently, remembering the new fact about Junhui he'd learned from Mingyu. He knows the truth.

Junhui proceeds. "He's pretty cool, right? Did you see his pictures? They're super nice."

"Mmhmm" Wonwoo hums. He smiles at the boy standing above him. Junhui raises an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Are you hiding something?"

"What?"

"Wonwoo," Junhui states, "you've got this goofy grin plastered on your face like you know something we don't."

Wonwoo laughs, and explains to Junhui how in fact had met the new guy, the new guy who played the role of love doctor in his relationship with Minghao. He sees Junhui's entire body tense up, as he tries to respond in a series of flustered "oh"s and "uh", failing pathetically.

He forgets to keep his voice down as he tells him this. When he finishes, a piercing squeal of delight can be heard from the cubicle next to Wonwoo's.

"I KNEW IT!" shouts Seungkwan. "I KNEEEW IT!! JUNHUI AND MINGHAO, SITTING IN A TREE-"

"OH MY GOD. SHUT UP," Junhui pleads through clenched teeth. He glares at Wonwoo, who offers him an apologetic look. Junhui runs away, face as red as a tomato as he disappears into his editing office.

Junhui’s flushed face reminds Wonwoo of how Mingyu's appeared earlier, when he took his hand and lightly kissed his.

Oh. That's right. Mingyu.

Wonwoo’s knuckles clench on his desk. He can't wait any longer, he realizes he needs an answer, and he doesn't care that it's not the end of the day yet. The workload could wait.

He begs Seungkwan to cover for him if Minghao makes his rounds, and he happily agrees to do so, considering he just gave him the "news of the century!"

Wonwoo thanks him and begins to speed walk around the office (Minghao doesn't like when they run). He maneuvers his way around to find the photography section of the floor, and questions whether the office doubled in size from when he first started there. Where the ever loving God is it?

Wonwoo is panicking, he's a man on a mission, a mission that must to be completed right this second for him to carry on the rest of his day in peace.

After a lengthy search and some awkward encounters with coworkers he'd never met before, Wonwoo finds Mingyu's cubicle situated only a few away from his own. Go figure, he grumbles to himself, but nevertheless he's relieved that he's finally found it.

He invites himself in. Mingyu is turned towards the PC, already busying himself on Photoshop.

Dammit. Even his backside is beautiful. Wonwoo takes a deep breath and somehow situates himself behind him. "Whatcha working on?" he sputters.

Mingyu, who had been so engrossed in his work, jumps up and Wonwoo observes his face shift from shock to relief once he sees it's him.

"Hey, it's you!" Mingyu looks up at Wonwoo. Wonwoo grins at him, and he receives one back. The two stare at one another until Wonwoo finally snaps out and remembers what he had set out to do.

"So Mingyu...about my proposal earlier-wait, no, not proposal, I mean question, I just wanted to know, 'cause well I don't know if your schedule is different from mine or when you and I would have time and-what am I saying, you didn't even say yes yet, but the curiosity was eating me alive and I need-"

Wonwoo gets cut off as Mingyu stands up, and he feels intimidated once more.

Mingyu takes both his hands this time, and leans in close to his ear. Wonwoo can sense Mingyu's mouth against him go up into a smile. He shudders.

"Wonwoo. Of course I'll go out with you," Mingyu whispers as he quickly plants a kiss on Wonwoo's cheek before giving him another little smile and sitting back down to resume his work like nothing had happened.

That technically wasn't the answer to Wonwoo's question, but he'll take it.

"O-okay," Wonwoo stutters. He remembers that he doesn't even have Mingyu's number yet, and the two rapidly exchange contact information like their lives depended on it.

Together, they plan to meet at the cafe that Saturday, Wonwoo making sure it fell around the same time as Jihoon’s shift.

“So it's a date!” Mingyu declares delightedly. Wonwoo can't help but feel the same way, returning an enthusiastic nod.

They smile at each other, both giddy with excitement, as they wave goodbye to each other before returning to their respective workloads. Wonwoo pats himself on the back for a job well done. He felt like he was floating, the happiest man in the world at this very moment.

Wonwoo makes it back at his cubicle, practically on cloud nine, as his sinks into his chair, that same goofy grin making its triumphant return.

Even though he'd just met Mingyu that morning, he already feels like he's known him for a whole lifetime. It was crazy, the emotions he already had towards him, but there was no doubt they would only grow with time.

He's never been more grateful towards a late alarm, ever, in his entire life. The sacrifice of his punctuality streak was completely worth it. It was so worth it.

Wonwoo smiles, breathing a sigh of content.

He turns back to his work, thinking how excited Seungkwan will be with the news of another budding office romance, which Wonwoo hopes will blossom very, very soon.

 

**Author's Note:**

> howdy yall. thank you for reading, this is also found on my AFF account under the same username!!


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